5 kids left in hot car outside Port Richmond grocery store

Emily Babay, Philly.com

Last updated:
Tuesday, July 1, 2014, 12:26 PM

A woman was taken into custody after five children became overheated when they were left in a vehicle outside a Port Richmond grocery store.

Police received a report of five children left unattended in a Lincoln station wagon outside the ShopRite on the 3700 block of Aramingo Avenue at about 10:45 a.m., said Officer Jillian Russell, a police spokeswoman.

The air-conditioning in the vehicle was on, but "they were overheated," she said. The kids were taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children for evaluation, though they were believed to be okay.

A woman, described by police as a caretaker or babysitter, was taken into custody. She wasn't immediately identified.

The children included a 6-month-old boy, a 1-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy, an 8-year-old boy, and a 9-year-old girl. They are not believed to be related.

It wasn't known how long they were in the vehicle.

By shortly before 11 a.m., the temperature in Philadelphia had already reached 86 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and was continuing to rise.